Ni No Kuni 2 shows off its new RTS skirmishes and traditional role-playing

Dev-led in-game footage highlights the split between old and new.

First slated for release in late 2017, Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom is now expected on March 23 this year. While we wait, Level-5 and Bandai Namco have spent the past few weeks showcasing elements of the whimsical role-player's combat, exploration and story.

Now, the publisher has dropped its second 'Demo Walkthrough' that first shows off one of the game's RTS-driven skirmishes, before then talking us through a more traditional slice of JRPG fare.

Running just over 25 minutes, the first portion of the footage below (from the beginning to around the 7.30 mark) portrays the same skirmish mission I tackled at Gamescom last year, wherein protagonist Evan battles a band of hostile bandits in the Heartlands. Read my thoughts on that in full over here.

From there, the second slice above explores more familiar Ni No Kuni territory, where the player character is seen venturing into ominous dungeons, exploring quaint townships, and leading their squad into battle.

And while all of this looks lovely, I do hope Bandai Namco and Level-5 show us more of how both skirmish mode and the game's more generic RPG elements tie together in-game. I do like the idea of switching back and forth between modes, however also worry the scope of the story could get fudged in the process.